Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

That Defining White Coat Of The Medical Profession Is Teeming With Harmful Bacteria

As many as 16 percent of white coats tested positive for MRSA, and up to 42 percent for the bacterial class Gram-negative rods--both types of bacteria that can cause serious problems, including skin and bloodstream infections, sepsis and pneumonia. In other public health news: mammograms, accidental poisonings, compassion, MSG, aging, palliative care, and more.

The New York Times:
Why Your Doctor’s White Coat Can Be A Threat To Your Health
A recent study of patients at 10 academic hospitals in the United States found that just over half care about what their doctors wear, most of them preferring the traditional white coat. Some doctors prefer the white coat, too, viewing it as a defining symbol of the profession. What many might not realize, though, is that health care workers’ attire — including that seemingly “clean” white coat that many prefer — can harbor dangerous bacteria and pathogens. (Frakt, 4/29)

NPR:
3D Mammography Creates More Precise Images To Detect Breast Cancer
When women get a mammogram they may be offered one of two types. The older type of mammogram takes a single straightforward X-ray image of the breast. The newer 3D takes pictures from many angles. Now, more evidence shows that 3D mammography offers a more thorough picture of breast tissue and is more accurate. When Mary Hu, an administrator in communications with Yale School of Medicine, went to get a mammogram two years ago, she didn't even know she was getting 3D mammography, also called digital breast tomosynthesis. But she's glad that's what she got. (Neighmond, 4/28)

The Washington Post:
A Surprising Number Of Children Are Accidentally Poisoned. Simple Steps Can Prevent That.
It only took a few seconds. During a family trip, a woman took out an Ambien and put the prescription sleep aid on her bathroom counter. Then, she turned to grab a bottle of water. In an instant, her toddler grandson grabbed the pill and ate it. “She was standing right there, not even moving away, just reaching with her hands,” says Maneesha Agarwal, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, who treated the child in the ER. “It was that fast.” (Sohn, 4/28)

NPR:
To Feel Better Now, Act With Compassion For Someone Else
For most of his career, Dr. Stephen Trzeciak was not a big believer in the "touchy-feely" side of medicine. As a specialist in intensive care and chief of medicine at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, N.J., Trzeciak felt most at home in the hard sciences. Then his new boss, Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, came to him with a problem: Recent studies had shown an epidemic of burnout among health care providers. As co-president of Cooper, Mazzarelli was in charge of a major medical system and needed to find ways to improve patient care. (Ritchie, 4/26)

The Wall Street Journal:
The FDA Says It’s Safe, So Feel Free To Say ‘Yes’ To MSG
When restaurants across America put signs in their windows vowing never to use your company’s flagship product, you might have a problem. That realization has dawned on Ajinomoto Co. AJINY 1.99% of Tokyo, founded more than a century ago to make the seasoning monosodium glutamate, or MSG. The company is in the middle of a $10 million, three-year campaign to persuade Americans that MSG is safe--and maybe even good for you, if it helps you eat less salt. (Davis, 4/27)

The New York Times:
Ageism: A ‘Prevalent And Insidious’ Health Threat
It happened about a year ago. I stepped off the subway and spotted an ad on the station wall for a food delivery service. It read: “When you want a whole cake to yourself because you’re turning 30, which is basically 50, which is basically dead.” After a bunch of us squawked about the ad on social media, the company apologized for what it called attempted humor and what I’d call ageism. Maybe you recall another media campaign last fall intended to encourage young people’s participation in the midterm elections. In pursuit of this laudable goal, marketers invoked every negative stereotype of old people — selfish, addled, unconcerned about the future — to scare their juniors into voting. (Span, 4/26)

NPR:
How Palliative Care Can Help Seriously Ill Patients Live And Die Well
"He will not die on your watch." That's what the family of a patient told Sunita Puri when she was a resident in internal medicine. They were chilling words for the young doctor as she took over the care of a very sick man on the overnight shift. To Puri, the patient, who had widespread metastatic liver cancer, appeared to be dying. She tried to talk with the family about forgoing heroic measures, to let him have peace in his last hours. But they were adamant. (Wroth, 4/25)

The Wall Street Journal:
The New Strategies For Raising A Boy
It’s a challenging time to parent a boy. Moms and dads worry about everything from hypermasculine cultural stereotypes to how to talk about sex in the #MeToo era. A new book, “How to Raise a Boy: The Power of Connection to Build Good Men,” suggests there’s good reason for concern. Author Michael C. Reichert cites research showing that boys seek help from health care or school staff at rates nearly twice those of girls; they lag behind girls in social and behavioral skills; and they are the primary recipients of disciplinary sanctions and medication prescriptions. (Bernstein, 4/29)

The New York Times:
Lego Is Making Braille Bricks. They May Give Blind Literacy A Needed Lift.
When Carlton Cook Walker’s young daughter developed health problems that led to near-total blindness, she knew she wanted her to learn Braille. But the family’s school, in rural central Pennsylvania, was resistant. A teacher pointed out that the girl, then in preschool, could still read print — as long as it was in 72-point type and held inches from her face. “I said, ‘What about when she is in high school? How will she read Dickens like this?’” recalled Ms. Cook Walker, whose daughter, Anna, is now 18. “The teacher’s response was chilling: ‘Oh, she’ll just use audio.’” (Mervosh, 4/27)

The Washington Post:
If Allergies And Air At Home Bother You, Here's What To Do
When spring arrives, it’s a joy to open your windows and feel the fresh air. All too soon it will be summer and we’ll shut ourselves in again. This ritual raises a question: Which is healthier — outdoor air or indoor air? They’re related, of course. The air inside our homes originates from outside and can carry pollen or pollutants, such as those produced by combustion engines. Indoor sources might add to the mix with tobacco smoke, cooking, mold spores, dust and pet dander. (Adams, 4/27)

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